Modern architecture was brought to Africa in the 20th century to ‘civilise’ this ‘underdeveloped’ continent. It was primarily a manifestation of (failed) colonialism. In his PhD dissertation, Maastricht University (UM) researcher Christoph Rausch spotlights the heated debate over modern heritage in Africa. What should be preserved? And would you really want to preserve ‘innovative’ architecture that is now well and truly outdated?

Toilets may not be the sexiest of topics. But for UNU-MERIT Maastricht researcher Shuan SadreGhazi, they are a highly significant – if neglected – phenomenon. “Today, more than 2.4 billion people in the world don’t have access to a proper sanitation system.”

Environmental pollution and devastation accompanying rapid economic development have created not only alarming losses to human beings and property but also astonishing damage to the environment itself. The difficulties in assessment and the special legal status of natural resources make traditional tort law an insufficient solution for the protection and compensation of this so called ecological damage.

Marcelle Devries was 36 years old when she was murdered in Auschwitz in 1942. Last summer, a memorial stone bearing her name was unveiled in front of the Bosscherweg 185 in Maastricht, where she lived until she was deported. The house is now occupied by Fred Grünfeld, professor of International Relations at Maastricht University and initiator of the ‘Stumbling Stones’ project in Maastricht.

"Our brain is a universe, and that universe I want to understand", says Rainer Goebel, professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at the Maastricht Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience. Recently, the chances of his dream coming true have significantly increased. The reason? A green light and hence a €500 million grant for the Human Brain Project, which was announced last January as one of only two Future and Emerging Technologies (FET) Flagship projects funded by the European Commission. The aim of the project is to unravel the secrets of the brain, and it is up to Goebel to represent Maastricht University in the endeavour.